Chapter 29 I Could Still Control Something In This Cursed World

Chapter 29 I Could Still Control Something In This Cursed World
💞Elias💞

We kept riding, forgetting that inn we had spent a night in. We were simply letting go of the incident behind us and now ready to face the one ahead of us. The road ahead stretched endlessly with no sign of a stop or turn. Its canopy tangled overhead like the ribs of an ancient beast. The leaves were green and still very well growing.

The sound of the two horses' rhythm filled my ear. I didn't look too often….not too much but Seraphina's horse was doing a good job. It didn't falter like when we began the journey.

I fell back a little making Seraphina ride ahead of me, I watched her hair from the back. It was dark and glowing from the perspective of the blade's reflection.

Her back was straight but every so often I caught her slightest movement….all of a sudden. The forest shifted, the quietness broke and was replaced with the sharp rustling of the leaves and snapping of branches.

Fast and low, a blue of muscle and fur. I straightened, eyes narrowing as the shape cut across the undergrowth and vanished behind a line of stones.

I can never call that for anything. A stag, maybe. Or something close enough.

And just then, some things were starting to come back to me.

Hunger, I realized. I've caught her rubbing her stomach frequently. So that was what she was trying to pass off.

She hadn’t eaten since yesterday, and neither had I, but she wasn’t built to ride this long on nothing but air and stubbornness.

We'd feed on the stag or anything I get my hand on.

I turned to Seraphina. “You should continue for now,” I said. “Find your way to the next clearing. I’ll catch up.”

She frowned, confusion flickering across her face. “What are you—”

But I was already turning my horse, boot pressing hard into the flank. “Get going,” I called, and the wind swallowed my words.

The hunt had begun.

The air grew sharper as I rode. Branches lashed at my arms. The forest floor blurred beneath the pounding hooves. Every breath felt heavier, filled with the scent of damp bark and wild earth. I could feel my heart syncing with the animal’s — that instinctive pulse of predator and prey.

I caught sight of it again — sleek brown fur, antlers flashing as it leapt over a fallen log. I leaned forward, spurring the horse faster. It was quick, almost mockingly so, weaving through the thickets like it knew the land better than I ever could.

Those animals were always so wild. So unrelentless to die.

I grunted in frustration.

“Not today,” I muttered under my breath.

The stag darted left — I followed. It doubled back — I anticipated. Still, it was always a breath ahead, teasing me with its nearness. My horse stumbled once, hooves sinking into a patch of wet ground. I cursed under my breath, righted myself, and pressed on.

The chase burned the frustration clean out of me. Every thought of the Curse Bearer, of duty, of Seraphina’s unreadable eyes — all of it fell away until there was nothing but the sound of pursuit.

Minutes passed. Maybe more. My lungs burned. The forest stretched wider, rougher, until the trees opened into a narrow glade split by a thin brook. The water gleamed faintly under the pale sun, and there — by the far edge — stood the creature. Its head was bent low, muzzle brushing the water’s surface.

I slowed, sliding off the horse without a sound. The air was still, anticipating for me to catch it. It was rooting for my success. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

I drew my dagger — slender, balanced, honed from years of war. The grip was cold in my hand.

One step forward. Then another. The creature’s ears twitched. It lifted its head, eyes bright, muscles tensing beneath the hide.

Too late.

The dagger left my hand with a whisper. A clean arc of silver slicing the air.

It struck just below the shoulder. The stag staggered, a sound breaking from its throat — half gasp, half groan. It tried to run, made it two steps, and then crumpled to the ground.

Silence.

The kind that hums in the bones and you feel your whole body getting the chill of it.

I walked to it slowly, boots sinking into the moss. Blood spread through the grass like spilled ink, warm and bright. I crouched beside the body, fingers brushing the coarse fur. The eyes were still open, reflecting the shifting canopy above.

I pulled the dagger free. The sound was wet, final.

For a long moment, I just looked at it, and watched its life go. A flicker of satisfaction pulsed through me. It wasn't joy, something darker, simpler. This little act served as a reminder that I could still control something in this cursed world, even if it was just this.

I wiped the blade clean on the grass and straightened, breathing out slowly.

“Good enough,” I murmured, a vicious smile tugging at my lips.

I breathed in the same air as the forest. My horse whinnied softly from behind, restless but obedient. The little man must think it was time to go,but not just yet.

I carried the little creature from the already bloody scene and laid it down on another green pasture. Where I intend to have it opened and caught into pieces to feed in.

I stared at my dagger for once before I lunged into it. My dagger and my sword were the closest to me and I'd not let it go for anything.

I worked with enough experience but not enough practice, but I know I was getting it. Behind me, I heard a slow sound of someone's footsteps. My heart didn't quicken,I didn't quiver, I just tightened my grip on the dagger in my hand and my eyes were playing sharply to watch the shadow of the person approaching.